Hardware Podcasts

S2 E3: Strategic Planning for Hardware Success with Pete Blake

The Builder Circle · 25 Dec 2023 · 1h 03m

What this episode covers

Pete Blake, a strategy advisor at Sapphire Steel and Techstars All-Star Mentor, explains how hardware founders can leverage ecosystem partnerships to bridge the gap between research and productization. He emphasizes holding tight to the customer problem while keeping the solution light, using Pasteur's Quadrant to balance pure science with application, and defining a clear role in the value chain to avoid spreading resources too thin. Blake details the three threads of a product roadmap—product, commercial, and operational—and warns against the 'corporate petting zoo' where startups fail to secure committed pilot partners. Finally, he advocates for governance for growth, urging founders to build diverse, active boards that drive strategic milestones rather than just serving as status reports.

Most relevant to

early-stage companies

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Sapphire Steel, Techstars, Equinor, Airbnb, Facebook, Google
Products
Google Home, Alexa
Also
Royal Academy of Engineering, Imperial College London, Royal Institution, Carbon13, Brad Feld

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